Christmas at Evergreen Inn (Jewell Cove 4)

“Where in the world did you hear that?” She sipped at the amber liquid, felt the warmth of it slide down her throat and into her belly, leaving a fiery trail.

He shrugged. “Have you met my grandmother? She’s got a saying for damn near everything. I always think I’ve heard them all and then she’ll come out with another one.”

Lainey relaxed against the sofa cushions. That was what made Todd so dangerous. It wasn’t just the looks. The true sexiness came from his sense of humor and how he seemed to put everyone he met at ease. She’d been home for five minutes and she already had a drink in her hand and her guard down. “Cheers.” She saluted with her glass. “It’s been a long day.”

“Amen to that.” Todd took another drink. “This isn’t half bad. And look at you, drinking it straight.”

“Because I’m a girl?”

He laughed. “You are? When did that happen?”

She swatted at his arm and his laugh settled around them, warm and sexy. Oh my. Maybe whiskey to ward off the chill wasn’t such a good idea. Because things were feeling warm all right …

They sat in the quiet for a few minutes, both of them sitting back with their heads against the cushions. Todd turned his lazily to look at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Hey, Lainey? How come we never dated, huh?”

Inside she felt like her tongue was about to be tied into knots and butterflies swooped and swirled in her stomach. But that was inside. Outwardly she kept her composure and looked back at him. “Probably because you never asked me.”

“Hmm. Clearly an oversight on my part. You’re not as scary as you used to be.”

She snorted. After all this time, she doubted he was really interested. Just because she felt like a silly girl around him didn’t mean she’d lost her mind. “Me, scary? What’s the matter, have you exhausted the inventory in town?”

“Ouch.” He got up and retrieved the bottle from the kitchen counter, brought it back, and added a splash to his glass before putting it on the coffee table in front of them. “Jeez, I’m not that much of a player.”

A smile twisted her lips; a silent laugh. “Of course you’re not.” She added the tiniest bit of whiskey to her glass, too.

“Hey. That’s sarcasm.”

“Oh, well done!”

“That was, too,” he mumbled.

She snickered.

“Okay, smarty-pants.” He sat up a bit. “You said because I never asked you. Does that mean you would have said yes if I had?”

“Only in a weak moment,” she fired back with a cheeky grin, feeling immensely proud of how quick on the draw she was tonight. What were they doing? Flirting? Passing the time? What would happen next, a game of Truth or Dare? Was it wrong that she hoped so?

Todd looked around her small living room and tilted his head a bit, then looked at her curiously. “Hey. I just realized something. You don’t have any Christmas decorations in here.”

And just like that, the whiskey soured in her stomach. “Gee, would you look at the time,” she replied drily, turning her wrist to look at her watch. Only she wasn’t wearing one because like most people, she relied on the clock on her phone.

“Interesting.” Todd relaxed and crossed one ankle over his knee, holding the glass negligently. “I think what we have here is a big ol’ Scrooge. Or Grinch.” He grinned. “Naw, you’re too cute to be a Grinch. And you’re not even green.”

“You’re a pain in the ass.”

“But I’m right, aren’t I? Just what have you got against Christmas, anyway?”

She gulped some of the whiskey, letting the heat burn the back of her throat. She really didn’t want to talk about Jason tonight. It was bad enough she’d spared him a thought earlier.

“You were at the inn. There are lots of decorations over there. There’s even a big Christmas tree in the parlor. But wait … you didn’t go in there, did you? You were being antisocial.”

He frowned, and her little jab didn’t deter him in the least. “The inn isn’t here, though, is it? Of course you’d decorate for guests. But you don’t have a tree, and here i

t is, the … what date is it today, anyway?”

The whiskey was starting to take a toll, softening the edges of her mind. She had to think for a moment. “The twentieth.” She frowned. She remembered last December twentieth very well. That was the day she’d taken her wedding dress back to the store. There was no way she was going to leave it hanging in her closet.

“That’s right. December twentieth and no tree. No lights. No … you know, those big red flowers. Or pine boughs. Or presents.”